On the evening of June 13, a deadly flood tore into Tbilisi sweeping away houses and their inhabitants. At the time of writing, nineteen people are known to have died.

The destruction caused by the deadly flood in Tbilisi. Photo source: Tbilisi City Hall

It is believed that the flooding was caused by heavy rain and major landslides in two locations near Tskneti and Betania, not far from Tbilisi. The landslide caused the Vera River to dam and later burst, causing a torrent of water to surge into the Vake and Saburtalo neighborhoods of Tbilisi.

The swollen Vere River swept away houses and flooded the surrounding area. Photo by Маша Рябкова

Tbilisi Zoo was almost completely destroyed by the floodwater. Hundreds of creatures drowned, while many dangerous predators escaped. A man was killed by a tiger at Laguna Vere in Tbilisi on 17 June, just a few hundred meters from…